Treating oil.



J. A, ADUBBS.

TRBATING OIL. APPLICATION FILED Nov.2o, 1909.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR QL, ,Swf

Illll UJITNESSS:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE A. DBBS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO NATIONAL HYDROCARBON COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

TREATING OIL.

Speciication of Letters Patent.

Patented aan. 5, 1915.

Application 1ed November 20, 1909. Serial No. 529,049.

To all whomy it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JESSE A. DUBs, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles,

and State of California, have invented cer-y tain new and useful Improvements in Treating Oil, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to improvements in treating oil and refers more particularly to a process of subjecting the oil to heat and pressure.

Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide an limproved method of treating oil wherein both the vaporization and condensation take place under the pressure of the generated vapors; to provide a method which is particularly adapted for the removal of the finely divided particles of water from emulsified hydrocarbon oils; to provide a method which will permit of the oil being continuously subjected to the required heat and pressure in both the still and condenser without the interruption of its flow to provide a method by which this may be safely and economically done and in general to provide an improved method of the character referred to.

' A method of removing the water from II-II, Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a detail view of al stand or cushioning pipe connected with the apparatus; Fig. fl is a view in longitudinal section of a check valve such as may be employer at several points in the apparatus, as will hereinafter be more fully described; Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the main cooling tank; parts which are repeated in the several figures bear the same reference numerals in each case.

In the preferred apparatus for the prac- Atice of my invention, the oil is forced from 4`the pipe line'l'eading fromthe well or other source of supply, through the pipe 1, into the coil 2, which may be heated to thedesired' temperature by any suitable means, as

sure in the apparatus; and, for the protection of the apparatus, and the operation, a safety valve, indicated at 5, is connected with the coil. From this preliminary heating coil 2, the oil passes into a larger coil 6, which may be heated to the desired temperature in any suitable manner, as by arranging it in the heating chamber of a furnace, indicated at 7. The pipe composing this coil is preferably of larger internal diameter than the pipe of the coil 2, so that there may be a segregation of the steam (produced from the water which the oil contained) and the vapors of the more volatile constituents of the oil from the liquid portions thereof, such segregated gases or vapors being conducted away from the coil by means of distillation pipes 8 to the condensing coil 9, located in a receptacle 10, through which a cooling fluid is caused to flow, condensing the `oil and water vapors passing through the coil. From this coil 9 the condensed vapors flow into the separat ing chamber l1, where the water and the oil are allowed to stratify, 'in accordance with their relative specific gravities. From this separating chamber 11, the condensed hydrocarbons are carried away by the pipe 12, and the condensed steam is drawn off from time to time through the outlet 13. For convenience in determining the relative amounts of oil and water in the tank 11, a glass tube 14 is connected thereto, preferably through the cock 13, and extends up a suitable height along the tank. From the coil 6 the treated oil .(relieved of the substantial part of the burden of water which the untreated oil carried in finely divided particles) flows, by the pipe 15 into a cooling coil 16, arranged in a tank 17, where it may be subjected to the action of a cooling Huid, and' from this cooler the oil flows by the pipe A13 to a suitable receptacle 26, where 10 at various points in the apparatus.

I the preliminary heater and themain heater,

5 another in the outlet pipe 15 from the main heater, and another in the outlet pipe 18 from the cooler. By means of these pyrometers, the operator may ascertain Whether he is maintaining the proper temperatures pipe l2 leading from the separating tank 1l may conveniently be connected to the outlet pipe 18 from the cooler 17, so that the condensed vapors from the tank 11 or products 15 floating on the water in the tank may mingle with the treated oil on its way from ,Y the cooler to the stratifying receptacle 26; in that receptacle, whatever traces of Water may-remain in the oil flowing in pipe 15 from coil 6, and whatever traces of water may remain in the distilledoil flowing in pipe 12 are practically removed.

In order to maintain the desired pressure Within the system, including the condenser y 9 and separating chamber 11, a throttle valve 22 of any suitable form or construction may be located in the outlet pipe 18, at a point beyond the connection of the pipe 12-therewith. By properly adjusting this 3o valve 22 to the pressure under which oil enters the apparatus, any required pressure may be maintained. Check Valves 24 and 25 (which also may .be of the construction indicated in Fig. 4c) are preferably introduced in pipes 12 and 18 Which lead from separator 11 `and from cooler 17.

l In order to prevent injury to-the apparatus, cushioning means areemployed, preferably located at different points yin the coil 2 for the preliminary heating of the oil as in such coils the hammer blows would be more apt to originate. These cushioning devices preferably consist of stand pipes 23 of suitable height.` The stand pipes may be 'made of a height greater than that at which the liquid would stand for the pressure in the apparatus, so that in the case of a hammer blow these liquid columns will form a yielding cushion; or, preferably, as indicated in Fig. 3, the stand pipes 23 are closed at the" top and a body of inclosed air affords the cushioning effect desired. In treating these emulsion oils the heat and pressure to which the oil is subjected to effect a, segregation of the Water and oil will be approximately proportional to the manner in which the oil and Water are mixed, e., Whether the globules of Water are large or small and also to `the percentage of Water contained in the oil. If the globules are small, or if the percentage of water is large the heat or pressure or both should be increased. As for example, in oil containing about 28% .of Water (which is the case of oil of the Santa Maria eld of Ca1ifornia),a pressure of about 25 pounds, and a temperature of 325 F., more or less, has givenvery good results, as regards the segregation of the water, although I have performed my operation under pressures ranging from three to 70 two hundred and fifty pounds above atmospheric. As the oil is maintained above the vaporizing point of water, and as an opportunity is afforded in the large coil 6 for a separation of the water vapors, it lwill be observed that a large percentage of the water will be converted into vapor and condensed together with the vapors of the more volatile constituents of the oil in the condenser 9. Both the oil and Water vapors are condensed simultaneously and then flow into the separator where a gravity separation of the two will occur. v

The apparatus is so constructed that the oil may be subjected to the required heat andpressure without interruption of the flow.

I claim as my invention- 1. An improvement in the art of treating emulsified oil consisting in removing from a flowing body of such oil its finely divided particles of Water in and by a continuous process which consists in heating the oil in a receptacle from which is excluded at all times an externally obtained pressure me-4 95v dium, and both vaporizing and condensing the vapors under pressure in` excessA of atmospheric, said pressure being produced by the vapors generated from the oil under treatment. v 100 2.A` An improvement in the art of treatingl emulsiied hydrocarbon oil containing at least 5% of Water, consisting in removing from a continuously supplied body of such oil its finely divided particles of water in and by a continuous process which consists, in submitting successive portions of fthe oil toa temperature abovevthat required for boiling water at the pressure obtained and condensing the vapors thus produced, both the vaporization and condensation taking place under pressure in eXcess of atmospheric, such pressure being produced solely by the vapor generated .from the oil under treatment.

3. As an improvement in the art of treating emulsion oil, the method, herein described, of removing from a flowing body of such oil its inel divided particles of water, in and by a continuous operation, which consists in submitting the liowing stream to a pressure in excess of atmospheric, submitting such pressure-sustaining portion of the stream to al temperature required for boiling Water at such pressure, separating from the flowing stream the distillate so produced, submitting the distillate to a gravity-separating operation, restoring to the main stream the floating product of such gravity-separation, and-submitting the 13| united bodies to a second' gravity-separating operation.

4. The method, herein described, of removing from a stream ofemulsion oil, as it flows, its finely divided particles of water, such method consisting of subjecting a portion of the iiowing stream to a pressure Y,in excess of atmospheric pressure, causing the pressure-sustaining portion of the flowing stream to pass, iirst through a relatively constricted conductor, and then through a relatively large conductor, raising the temperature of the constricted stream to a point approximating the boiling point of water, bringing the temperature of the enlarged stream to the boiling point of water under such pressure and then successively relieving such stream, first of its excess temperature, and second of its excess pressure, and submitting the oil, as it iows, to a gravityseparating operation.

5. The herein described method of removing the finely divided particles of water from emulsied pitch-yielding hydrocarbon oils, containing ve per cent. of water or more, which consists in subjecting a body of such oil to a pressure above atmospheric, producing said pressure by heating said oil to a temperature above that required for boiling water atv said pressure, and during said treatment removing the steam and oily vapors generated. y

6.. The herein described method of remov. ing the finely divided particles of Water from emulsied pitch yielding hydrocarbon oil containing at least 5% of water, which consists in subjecting a body of such oil to a pressure above atmospheric, said pressure being produced by heating the oil to a temperature above that required for boiling water at said pressure, permitting the products volatilized from the oil to pass freely to a condenser and subjecting said volatilized products while under their self-imposed pressure to the action of said condenser.

7. Theherein described method of removing the finely divided particles of water from emulsified pitch yielding hydrocarbon oil containing at least 5% of Water, which consists in subjecting a body of such oil to a pressure above atmospheric, said pressure being produced by heating the oil to a temperature above that required for boiling water at said pressure, permitting the products volatilized from the oil to pass to a condenser, and subjecting said volatilized products while under their self-imposed pressure to the action of said condenser and regulating the pressure exerted by said volatilized products by controlling the discharge from the condenser.

8. The herein described process oftreating hydrocarbon oil which consists subsaid pressure being produced by the products volatilized from the oil under treatment in the heating of thel oil to a temperature 4above that required for vaporizing Water at the operatingpressure, permitting the generated vapors to pass continuously vfrom said receptacle to a condenser and sub'- j ecting Vsuch vapors to the action of the condenser while under their self-imposed pressure above atmospheric, unaided at all times by extraneous gaseous pressure.

9. The herein described process of treating hydrocarbon oil which consists in subjecting such oil in a receptacle to a temperatu're in excess of 300 F., permitting the volatilized products generated from the oil under treatment to pass freely to a condenser Where they are condensed, and maintaining substantially the entire pressure exceeding ten pounds to the square inch in both the receptacle and condenser during the whole process solely by the vapors generated from the material under treatment.

10. The herein described process of treating hydrocarbon oil, which consists in subjecting a body of such oil in a receptacle havin a space abovel the liquid to a pressure 1n excess of atmospheric, obtaining substantially the entirepressure desired by the products volatilized from the oil under treatment by the heating of the oil, substantially the entire space above the Iliquid in the receptacle being occupied during thewhole process solely by said volatilized products, and subjecting said volatilizedl products while under their self-imposed pressure above atmospheric to a condensing ing `a pressure thereon materially exceeding A atmospheric, continuously passing the volatilized products toa condenser and. effecting condensation thereof under their selfimposed pressure, and controlling the pressure on the oil by regulating the discharge fromI the condenser. y

Y 1n testimony whereof, 1 have hereunto set my hand.

JESSE A.. DuBBs.

Witnesses: I

E. T. BARBER, Jr., WALTER C. MARsToN. 

